Senators trade barbs at NBN hearing

A slanging match erupted last night in the Senate's environment and communications committee during the appearance of the NBN Co at an estimates hearing.

In a tense exchange, Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan swore at Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy who then suggested that Senator Heffernan had been drinking.

The barbs started flying after Liberal senator Simon Birmingham expressed his frustration that NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley was not able to provide enough detail about the roll out of the NBN - despite having questions on notice since last October.

Senator Conroy then suggested that Senator Birmingham was ''too lazy'' to look for the detail himself on the NBNCo website.

Committee chair, Labor's Doug Cameron tried to regain order by calling on Senator Heffernan to withdraw his remark and imploring Mr Quigley not to ''engage with'' Senator Heffernan.

The committee heard that no new households have been added to the NBN Co's fibre network in Western Australia or the Northern Territory in the past 19 months due to a ''range of issues'' with a contractor.

Only a small number of households have been added to the network in South Australia because of the same problem.

NBN Co says on its website that 12 months should be the average time taken from construction beginning to families being able to connect to the NBN.

At Tuesday night's Senate estimates hearing Senator Birmingham asked Mr Quigley, if, ''19 months after work first commenced, are any premises able to access a connection?''

''In Western Australia, no,'' Mr Quigley said.

''In South Australia?''

''There are some premises''.

''Northern Territory?''

''Not at this time''.

Mr Quigley blamed the delays on NBN Co's contractor, Syntheo, which was ''ramping up and obviously facing some challenges''.

''We are working with them to try and overcome those,'' he said.

Opposition Broadband and Communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said the NBN was in ''utter disarray'' in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Mr Turnbull also attacked the NBN Co for refusing to give ''granular detail'' on the rollout – such as its progress in each state.

Both Mr Quigley and Senator Conroy, emphasised that in spite of the construction delays in some states, the NBN rollout would still meet its targets.

Responding to Liberal senators' claims that the NBNCo was dodging questions of detail, Senator Conroy said there was ''a whole range of information being pulled together not currently provided for''.

''Believe me,'' he said, ''by the time you get to the next estimates you'll be drowning in information''.